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Cavendish Laboratory : Letter from Maxwell to Tait concerning Thomson's transatlantic cable, and Boltzmann's thermodynamics, 11.8.1873

Cavendish Laboratory

<p style='text-align: justify;'>The letter is a reply to a postcard from Tait of 31 July 1873 asking him to write several reports. In his letter Maxwell asks about W. Thomson's (referred to as T) engagement in the transatlantic cable. He then presents his understanding of Boltzmann's thermodynamics in an abbreviated form. Unlike in Maxwell's own treatise, mentioned in the last paragraph (Phil.Trans., 157 (1867): 49-88), this method does not require any assumptions about the action between molecules. For more details see: P.M. Harman, 'The scientific letters and papers of James Clerk Maxwell', Vol.II, CUP 1995, p.915. This photograph of the manuscript was probably taken on the occasion of the Maxwell Centenary Celebration in 1931.</p>

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